by Susan Stoker
“And the children? What’s going to happen to them?”
For the first time since the interview had started, Milena saw true anger on the agent’s face. “They’ll be placed into foster care. They all need extensive psychological help. Even the babies, who weren’t touched sexually, were still abused. A lack of love and comfort can be just as harmful as any other kind of neglect.”
“And my girls?”
Cruz knew who she was talking about without needing her to clarify. “They’re being placed into foster care as well.”
“Can I see them?”
Cruz shook his head. “It’s not a good idea. Any reminders of where they were and what happened can’t be good for them right now. Maybe in time, but for now, no.”
Milena sighed. She’d expected that answer. She didn’t like it, but she understood why. “You said Sadie’s been released?”
“Yeah. She was interviewed earlier. I’m sorry it took so long to get to you. We’re almost done here and you’ll be free to go. But Miss Reinhardt, I’ll ask that you don’t leave town. You and Sadie need to be accessible in case any other questions come up.”
Milena nodded. “No problem on my part. I live here. Sadie’s uncle’s might want her home…back in Dallas.”
“She said it wouldn’t be an issue for her to stay. I understand she’s been living with you at your parents’ house.”
“Yeah, she’s been helping me with…uh…yeah, she came down to see me and decided to stay for a while.” Milena swallowed, not wanting to get into what Sadie had been helping her with. It was nobody’s business but her own. It wasn’t something she was embarrassed about, not in the least, but it also wasn’t something she advertised.
“One more thing…since Jeremiah and Jonathan haven’t been located, you need to be extremely careful.”
“You think they’re going to come after me? I thought you just said you didn’t think I was in danger.”
“I do think that. I’m not saying those two will care about you or your friend, but since they’re in the wind, you still need to be careful.”
“Yeah, all right. That makes sense. I do have to work though. I can’t just sit at home,” Milena told him.
“I didn’t think you would. The bureau can’t offer you a full-time bodyguard at this point, but if it looks like you’re in danger, you’ll be assigned protection.”
“I will?” Her head tilted to the right in confusion. “Who?”
“All of the law enforcement agencies in the area worked together on this bust,” he said, not really answering her question. “SAPD, the state highway patrol, FBI, Texas Rangers…it was truly an interagency effort to bring this sick operation down. I’m not one hundred percent sure who would be assigned to you, if it comes to that. But rest assured, we won’t just leave you vulnerable for those assholes to get ahold of.”
“Oh, well…thank you,” Milena said, somewhat surprised.
“As I said, at this point, I think they’ve hightailed it out of town. Just be alert for anything odd happening and let me know if you ever feel as if you’re in danger, and I’ll make sure you get that protection. Now, if you’ll just sit tight, I’ll arrange for you to get a ride home,” Cruz told her, standing.
“Oh…my car. Can I…will I get it back?”
“Of course. The FBI doesn’t go around stealing cars, Milena.”
It was the first time he’d used her name, and somehow it changed the whole atmosphere of the room. Made him seem more…approachable. Friendly.
“I do suspect it’ll take a couple days for it to be towed back to FBI headquarters. It’ll need to be searched, you understand.”
“Of course.” Milena inwardly winced at what the investigators would find in the backseat. Lord only knew what was back there. She hadn’t had the time or inclination to clean it out recently. Not having her car would be a pain, but she was sure her mom would let her use hers in the meantime.
“If you’ll wait here, I’ll be back in a bit.”
“By a bit…you don’t mean a few hours, do you?” Milena asked. “I have no idea what time it is, but I need to get home.”
“I don’t mean a few hours,” he reassured her. Then Cruz stood. He looked down at her with an expression Milena couldn’t identify. Just when she was feeling uneasy, he said softly, “You have a big heart, Milena Reinhardt. My girlfriend is a lot like you. Lucky for me, she’s as forgiving as she is tenderhearted.”
And with those cryptic words, Agent Cruz Livingston nodded at her and left the room.
Milena stared at the door he’d disappeared through, then turned to face the huge mirror on the opposite wall from where she was sitting. She looked tired. Her hair was a mess, her scrubs were stained with Christine’s blood. Even from across the room she could see the dark circles under her eyes, advertising to the world her exhaustion.
Dropping her head, Milena took a deep breath, and once more inhaled the smell emanating from the jacket she was wearing.
This time when the tears came, she didn’t bother trying to hold them back. The subtle musky and earthy scent of the jacket she was wearing wafted up to her nose and made her feel even more off center. The smell reminded her of the man she’d once loved with all her heart, and she remembered how safe and secure she’d felt when he’d held her in his arms. She wished he was here right now. If she ever needed him, now was the time.
* * *
As soon as Cruz Livingston stepped foot into the observation room, TJ reached out and shoved against his chest as hard as he could. The other man took a step back, but grinned at his friend.
“You asshole. You made her cry,” TJ accused.
Cruz merely shrugged. “It’s not like we were having tea, TJ. She was being questioned about a fucking sex-abuse scandal.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have made her think for one fucking second she’d be arrested. You knew before you went in there she didn’t know shit about what was happening.”
Crus smirked. “You know you’re not supposed to do anything to bring attention to the fact you’re observing the interview.”
“Whatever,” TJ mumbled. He turned back to the window and stared at Milena. Her arms were around her waist now and her head was lowered. She looked so vulnerable and scared, he wanted nothing more than to go to her. Now wasn’t the time and it certainly wasn’t the place.
He might’ve been doing nothing but watching over her for the last month, keeping her safe from afar, never letting her know he was there, but that shit was done.
He knew she wouldn’t be happy to see him, not after the way he’d left, but he didn’t care anymore. TJ still loved her, hell, had never stopped. And although he knew he had an uphill battle getting back into her good graces, and that she might never feel for him again the way she used to, he was going to give it his best shot.
“Be straight with me, is she in danger from those two assholes?” TJ asked abruptly.
Cruz picked up the change in conversation without missing a beat. “At this point, it’s hard to tell, but I’m thinking no. The Joneses would be idiots to be within a thousand miles of San Antonio.”
“Seriously, if a protection detail is necessary, I want it.”
“Of course. If it comes to that, which I seriously doubt, I’ll reach out to your boss.”
“Appreciate it,” TJ told his friend.
Cruz waved off his thanks. “I think it’s obvious that no one would protect her as well as you would. It’s late. Agent Bennington said he’d give Milena a ride home. I need to let him know she’s ready.” Cruz paused for a second, then said, “TJ…”
TJ turned and looked at Cruz. He didn’t like the intense way his friend was staring at him. “Yeah?”
“You know if you need anything, all you have to do is ask. You’ve got a friend in every law enforcement agency in this city. Rangers, Sheriff’s office, FBI, SAPD…hell, even the Warden service. With one word, we’re all there.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. Me and Mile
na…we have a history,” TJ reluctantly told him.
“No shit.”
TJ’s lips quirked. “Unfortunately, I fucked up, and she’s not going to be happy to see me.”
“She’ll forgive you,” Cruz said with certainty.
“I’m not sure. I was a colossal dick. It’s not like I didn’t put the toilet seat down or something.”
“If Mickie forgave me for not telling her I was undercover when we met, Milena will forgive you.”
TJ wanted to believe his friend, but he honestly wasn’t sure. If the tables were turned and she’d walked out on him in the middle of the night without even a note, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find it within him to forgive her, never mind start up where they’d left off.
But that’s what he wanted. He wanted Milena back. In his life. In his bed. By his side. He hadn’t appreciated her then, but he wouldn’t let even one day go by without making sure she understood how much she meant to him…if she let him.
Cruz put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll make sure she gets home safe. Let her get some sleep, then go see her.”
TJ looked at his friend and nodded absently. The door to the observation room shut behind Cruz and TJ turned his attention back to Milena.
A pane of thick two-way glass separated them, but it had been a long three years since he’d even been this close to her. He’d take what he could get. He watched as an agent opened the door and told Milena he was there to take her home. She stood and reluctantly—at least it seemed that way to him—removed his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair she’d been sitting in.
It took everything in him not to storm out of the observation room and confront her right then and there, but he refrained.
As soon as they’d had time to exit the hallway, TJ opened the door and went into the interrogation room. He picked up his jacket and brought it to his face. He inhaled, and the scent he’d missed more than anything made its way into his lungs…and heart.
Milena had always smelled like lemons. Her lotion and shampoo were infused with the stuff, at least that’s what she always told him when he’d complimented her on her scent. Shrugging the jacket on and reveling in the way her lemony smell had seeped into the leather even during the short time she’d been wearing it, TJ resolved that tomorrow—no, later this morning; it was already three-thirty—he’d reacquaint himself with the love of his life.
He might’ve been a dick and given her up for all the wrong reasons in the past, but that shit was done. He wasn’t going to walk away again, not without one hell of a good reason. And the only reason he’d walk away was if she was married. He didn’t care if she was dating someone or engaged. Until she was wearing a ring on her finger, she was fair game.
And he planned on doing whatever it took to not only make her forgive him for being an ass, but to love him once again. She had to—any other outcome was unacceptable.
* * *
“Come on, Jonathan. The coast is clear, we can’t stay here.” Jeremiah Jones’s voice was low and calm as he looked at his son. They were hidden in one of the secret passageways under the school, built for just such a situation as the one that had occurred tonight.
Jonathan knew from the moment his father had opened the school they might someday need a way to escape the cops.
Jeremiah had made the engineer sign a nondisclosure agreement, but after the work was completed, had him killed anyway. He’d justified it by saying there was no way he wanted anyone other than his own flesh and blood knowing about the tunnel.
“Are we going to leave the weapons here?” Jonathan asked, gesturing back the way they’d come, where an arsenal was stored. Guns, semi-automatic rifles, ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers…they had it all.
“For now, yes. But if we need them, we’ll come back for them.”
“Where are we going? Mexico?”
“Eventually, but not yet. I have some unfinished business to attend to first,” Jeremiah said with a hard glint in his eyes.
Jonathan remembered being a child and feeling scared when his dad got like this. He’d simply learned not to question him, and to do whatever he said as soon as he said it. The punishments he’d suffered as a kid had been enough to make him extremely careful around his father even today.
The father turned to look at his son then. “I made a mistake, Jonathan.”
“A mistake, Father?”
“Yeah. I hired that bitch of a nurse—and allowed her friend to accompany her when she came to look after the pregnant bitches. I know one of them called the cops on us. Probably the nurse. She ruined what I built here! It’s all her fault I lost my girls. It’s not going to be easy to get new ones, but we will. First, I have to fix my mistake before we start over in Mexico.” He narrowed his eyes at his son. “You once told me you liked the redheaded bitch.” It was a question without sounding like one.
“I don’t like her,” Jonathan told his father. “She’s too old and tall. But…I think she’d make beautiful baby girls. Girls with red hair and green eyes. I want them.”
Jeremiah grinned. “I’m proud of the man you’ve become, Jonathan. If you want her, my son, you’ll have her. I’ll make sure the nurse can’t tattle on anyone else, then we’ll take the redhead with us to Mexico. She can be the first contributor to our new stable of girls.”
A slow, evil smile spread across Jonathan’s face. He pushed his too-long, greasy blond hair behind one ear. “Yeah, I like that idea.”
“I thought you might. Come on, son. We need to regroup and visit some of our supporters. We’ll watch and wait for the right time to strike. I’ll find the best way to make her pay for ruining what I’ve built. I don’t know how yet, but mark my words. She’ll wish she’d never heard of the Bexar County School and Orphanage for Girls. Or Jeremiah Jones.”
The two men slipped out of the tunnel into the trees on the back side of the vast property. Jonathan had thought his father was crazy for building the tunnels under the school, but now he was glad. Instead of being locked up behind bars, they were on their way to a better life.
He followed behind Jeremiah silently, thoughts of red-haired little girls swirling through his mind as he walked.
Chapter 3
Milena tiptoed into her parents’ house and shut the door quietly behind her. She threw the lock and heaved out a huge sigh. She was numb from everything she’d learned after talking with the FBI agent. And stressed. It was extremely selfish of her, especially with everything the poor girls at the school had been through and were still going through, but she couldn’t help but think about the money she wouldn’t be making now.
She’d been so close to finally being able to move out of her parents’ house and making it on her own. Hopefully the clinic would let her go back to full-time. But for now, she only had a part-time job. Not only that, but she didn’t have any health insurance at the moment.
That thought was the one that made her heart rate pick up and the panic attack that had been hovering nearly get the best of her. Milena took a deep breath. Then another.
No, she was fine. It wasn’t ideal, but her parents would let her stay as long as she needed. She knew that. Just as she knew they’d help her out with any bills that might arise, as they’d done in the past.
That didn’t mean she had to like it.
She was twenty-seven. Well past the age when she should be living on her own.
Milena walked into the living room and glanced at the clock on the wall. Four-thirty in the morning. She groaned softly. If she was lucky, she had an hour and a half before she needed to be up.
Detouring by the laundry room, she stripped off her stained scrubs and started the washer before heading to her room in nothing but her underwear. She closed the door to her childhood room and sighed. She made a quick trip to the bathroom, then grabbed the T-shirt she slept in every night. It was way too big to wear in public, but it was perfect to sleep in. The black letters on the front were faded and it had long sinc
e lost the smell of its previous owner, but Milena couldn’t bring herself to stop wearing it.
It was stupid.
All she was doing was torturing herself.
But she couldn’t make herself throw the thing out.
The Army T-shirt was all she had left of the man she’d once loved with all her heart. She’d been wearing it when he’d left. He’d taken every other scrap of clothing, leaving no trace he’d ever lived in her apartment. Except for the shirt.
Knowing she was feeling maudlin because of all the excitement from the day, Milena forced herself to crawl under her covers and close her eyes. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, not with all the awful things she’d learned about her former employer running through her mind, but within minutes, she was out.
Milena was unceremoniously awoken some time later when a small, warm body threw itself on top of her.
Her arms instinctively closed around her two-year-old son even while she was turning to her side. She opened her eyes and looked down at James Thomas…JT for short. He was grinning up at her. He put his little hands on her cheeks and said, “It morning, Mommy.”
Milena yawned. “I know, little man. Did you sleep good?”
“’Ungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
He clapped his little hands together and squirmed, trying to get out from under her arm.
She let him up and watched as he scooted his butt to the edge of the bed then turned on his belly. He dropped his legs down and slipped over the side of the mattress. He was a little daredevil for sure. He loved to climb up and down whatever he could. Knowing she had to get up and take care of her little boy, Milena took a deep breath. She hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, but mornings were for her and JT. She loved their routine.
Her parents usually slept in, giving her one-on-one time with her son, and Sadie had quickly learned that mornings were sacred to Milena. With more enthusiasm than she felt, Milena threw back the covers and stumbled out of bed. She needed to get JT changed and then fix him something to eat.